Bicycle-gearing



No. 623,780. Patented Apr. 25, |899. W. GREINER.

BICYCLE GEARING.

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Patented Apr. 25, |399. W. GREINER.

BICYCLE GEARING.

(Application led June 30, 1898.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

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lhvirn ST1-iras TILLIAM GREINER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVAA.

BICYCLE- GEARING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 623,780, dated April 25, 1899.

Application filed June 30, 1898.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I', IVILLIAM GREINER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bicycle- Gearing; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to gearing for bicycles and other foot-propelled vehicles; and the object in view is to provide a simple system of changeable-speed gearing,whereby the power or speed of the machine may be increased according to the requirements.

Another feature of the invention resides in the speciic means for adj usting the gears with respect to each other, whereby anincrease of speed or power is obtained;

The'detailed objects and advantages of the invention will be fully pointed out in the ensuing description.

The invention consists in certain novel fea'- tures and details of construction and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the drawings, and incorporated in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a sufficient portion of a bicycle to illustrate the application of the gearing thereto. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing a different arrangement of the gears.

l Fig. 4 is a view in elevation of the driving bevel-gearon the crank-axle., Fig. 5 is a similar view of the pinion which meshes with the driving-gear. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the adjustable key. Fig. 7 is a detail horizontal section through the gear-case. Fig. Sis a longitudinal section through the saine. Fig. 9 is a detail horizontal section taken adjacent to the hub of the rear wheel. Fig. 10 is a similar view showing gears arranged as in Fig.

Similarnumerals ofreference designate corresponding parts in all the views.

Referring to the drawings, 1 and 2 designate the rear fork members or bottoni runs of an ordinary safety-bicycle; 3, the crankhanger; 4, the bifurcated seat-post tube; 5,

Serial No. 684,878. (No model.)

the rear braces; 6,the driving-wheel shaft,and 7 the hub of the driving-wheel.

In carrying out the present invention one of the bottom runs, as 2, is terminated in rear of the crank-hanger at the point 8 and forms a tubular casing for a longitudinal shaft 9, by means of which motion isv communicated from the driving gear-wheel 10 on the crank-axle 11 to the bevel-pinion 12, fast on the hub 7 of the driving-wheel. The bottom run or fork member 2 is connected at its forward end to the seat-post tube by means of a curved brace 13, leaving sufcient room for the location of a bevel-pinion 14 on the forward end of the shaft 9.

Under the ordinary construction of safetybicycles the bottom runs 1 and 2 divergerearwardly from the crank-hanger, so that they stand at an acute angle to the driving-wheel shaft. In View of this skew-gears have to be resorted to in order to communicate motion from the crank-axle to the longitudinal shaft and again from the longitudinal shaft to the driving-wheel. In order to overcome this and admit of the use of true bevel-teeth, the driving-gear 10 is made dish-shaped or with one concave and one convex side. The wheellO may be provided with a continuous or imperforate web, or may consist of a spider comprising a series of spokes l5, to which is connected a plurality of gear-rims 16, 17, and 18, each of which may mesh with the pinion 14. The teeth of the pinion and driving gear-wheel are described on an angle of forty-live degrees, which is rendered possible by extending the spokes 15 in a line directly parallel to the shaft 9. In Fig. 2 it will be observed that the rear portion of the driving-wheel 10 extends parallel to the shaft 9, while the pinion 14 meshes with said driving gear-wheel at the rear edge of the latter. In Fig. 3 the same relationship is maintained, the only difference being that the driving gear-wheel 10 is located outside of the crank-hanger and at one end of the crank-shaft with the convex side innermost.

The shaft 9 is provided at its rear end with a pinion 19, which meshes with the bevelpinion 12 of the rear-wheel hub. The web 20 of the pinion 12 is also dished, and in Fig. 2 theweb of the pinion 12 in rear of the axle G extends parallel to the shaft 9, while in Fig.

3 the web 20 in advance of the aXle 6 extends IOO parallel to the shaft In each case the web of the pinion 12 extends parallel to the shaft 9 at that side of the shaft 0 where it meshes with the pinion 1f), thusenabling true bevelteeth to be employed.

In Figs. 1 and 2 the shaft (i is provided with a loop or eye 21, which receives and forms a bearing forthe shaft 9, the said shaft extending through the eye and having the pinion 19, mounted thereon, in rear of the shaft 6. In Fig. 3 the pinion 19 is located in advance of the axle G, so that the shaft (i may be either terminated just outside of the pinion 12 or extended and provided with the eye 21, for the purpose above stated.

The pinion 14 is provided with a recess 22. communicatingr with the central opening 2A thereof, in which the shaft f) is received. In order to fasten the pinion 14 upon the shaft il, I employ an adjustable k'ey 24, the main body portion of which is plano-concave in cross-section, having one iiat side 25 and one concave side 2G, the curvature of which conforms to the outer surface of the shaft 9. At one end the key 24 is provided with curved cars 27, which embrace the shaft 9 on opposite sides, said ears terminating in parallel portions 28, having openings 29 to receive a clamping-bolt 30, whereby the key is firmly clamped upon the shaft i). In Fig. l the pinion 14 is shown meshing with the outer gear-rim 1G. In order to adj ust it into mesh with one of the inner gear-rims 17 or 18, the key 24 is loosened by unscrewing the bolt 30, which enables the key to be slid longitudinally on the shaft 9 out of engagement with the recess 22 in the pinion 14. Said pinion may now be moved along the shaft i) until it is brought into engagement with the desired rim 17 orlS. In addition to the longitudinal movement of the pinion 14 on the shaft 9 it is also capable of a transverse movement, as it will be seen by reference to Fig. 5 that the shaft 9 can enter the unoccupied recess 22. This enables the teeth of the pinion 14 to be moved laterally out of engagement with the teeth of the driving-wheel 10 at the same time that it is moved along the shaft 9. After the pinion 14 is adjusted to the proper position the key 24 is again slid into engagement with the recess 22, after which the key 24 is securely clamped upon said shaft, thereby holding itself in place and also locking or keying the pinion 14 on the shaft 9. An additional changein speed may be obtained by providing the wheel 12 with one or more additional toothed rims in a manner similar to the wheel lO. IVhere the driving-wheel 10 is provided with three toothed rims and the rear-wheel pinion with two toothed rims, six different adjustments of speed are obtained.

In Figs. 7 and 8 the construction of the gear-case is shown, said case comprising an upper section 31, which forms a part of the machine-frame, and a lower removable section 32, which is attached to the upper section by means of bolts or other suitable fastenings, whereby said lower section may be detached for giving access to the gearing for the purpose of changing the speed or cleaning or repairing and removing the parts. The casing is of course provided in each side with a bearing 33 for the crank-axle and at its rear with a bearing 34 for the longitudinal shaft f).

In the foregoing description it will be seen that the speed of the machine may be varied to suit the requirements and that the parts, while protected by a suitable casin g, are readily accessible. The rear pinions adjacent to the hub of the rear wheel may also be suitably incased. By dishing the webs or spiders of the main driving-gear and the pinion on the rear wheel the employment of true bevelteeth is rendered practicable, thus increasing the wearing properties and life of the several gears. By providing the special form of key illustrated in Fig. 6 the pinion 14 may be shifted without the necessity of shifting the driving gear-wheel10,and the change in speed may be effected in a very short period of time.

I do not, of course, desire to limit myself to the specific details of construction hereinabove described, but reserve to myself the right to change, modify, and vary the construction within the scope of this invention. For example, the number of gear-rims 16, v17, and 1S on the driving gear-wheel may be increased to four, ve, or more, and likewise the number of gear-rims on the gear attached to the rear-wheel hub. The rear-pinion 19 may be secured to the longitudinal shaft i) by the same means as pinion 14. It is also within the scope of this invention to utilize the gearing on tandems, triplets, &c., by increasing the number of gear-wheels, pinions, longitudinal shafts, ac.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with the crank-axle and driving-wheel of a bicycle, of bevel gearwheels mounted thereon, a longitudinal shaft journaled in fixed bearings on the main frame, pinions at the ends of said shaft meshing with the said wheels, and means permitting the transverse movement of one of said pinions on the longitudinal shaft for adapting it to be moved longitudinally thereon, substantially as described.

2. The combination with the crank-axle and driving-wheel of a bicycle, of bevel gearwheels mounted thereon, a longitudinal shaft provided at its ends with pinions meshing with said gear-wheels, and an adjustable key on said longitudinal shaft designed to fasten one of the pinions in fixed engagement therewith, said key being movable out of engagement with the pinion, the latter being so constructed as to permit it to be moved transversely of the longitudinal shaft as well as longitudinally thereon, substantially as described.

The combination with the crank-axle IIO and driving-Wheel of a bicycle and bevel gear-Wheels on the crankaxle and driving- Wheel, one of which has a plurality of rows of teeth, of a longitudinal shaft, pinions mounted on said shaft and meshing with said gear-Wheels, one of said pinions being provided near its center With a recess communieating with the central opening for the shaft, and a key adjustably mounted on the shaft and having a plano-concave cross-sectional shape, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. In a bicycle in which a longitudinal shaft and bevel-gearing are employed for communieating 1n otion from the crank-axle to the dri ving-Wheehthe combination with the longitudinal shaft and a bevel gear-wheel having a plurality of rows of teeth, of a pinion adjustable longitudinally on said shaft and provided With a recess communicating with the central opening for the shaft, and a key of planoconcave shape in cross-section designed to' 

